I’ve reached a certain age. Not sure when it happened, but I am that age now.

Yesterday, at the hardware store, picking up probably the 15th leader hose of my lifetime, I saw a birthday card that I am sure my brother would love—or at least laugh at – and threw it in the cart, even though his birthday is nearly a year away and we never exchange cards.

I have reached the age where I buy anticipatory greeting cards.

When did that happen?

I used to live on the edge – buying birthday cards the day of the birthday, and usually only for a spouse or a future ex-spouse.

The thing that I am almost certain of is that I will forget about the birthday card when his birthday rolls around, or I will remember the card but be unable to remember where I put it.

I am almost certain my brother will never see this birthday card.

Which makes me wonder if I should send it now.

OMG, that’s how it happens, isn’t it?

I’ve reached the age where I not only buy anticipatory greeting cards, but I send birthday cards way too early because I am certain I will forget that this was my plan all along.

I have become my grandma.

When she died, she had boxes and boxes of unused greeting cards. A few had little Post-it notes on them indicating who they were for—Linda was supposed to get one, as well as Helen – though she did not write down their last names, so Linda and Helen never got that last birthday greeting from my grandma, which is a little sad.

In addition to anticipatory greeting card purchases, I spend too much time trying to remember the name of the man who was in that movie.

Usually it’s Kevin Costner, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to Google “the famous baseball movie that takes place in Iowa” to find out his name – though at the moment I could not recall the name of the movie, only “If you build it, they will come.”

Then – as right now – I torture myself and refuse to Google because, dammit, I should be able to recall the name of a movie I quote from regularly.

Ah!!! Field of Dreams – that’s it. I knew it would come to me.

When did this happen, and more importantly – why does it happen?

I know all the lyrics to Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch, and even the missing lyrics from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but I can’t reliably recall the name of an actor I’ve watched for 40 years, or that guy in the Maverick movie. Or the name of the Maverick movie, for that matter.

I’ve also been birdwatching for a few years. Now I’ve added squirrels. The amount of money I spend on walnuts is not defensible, but they show up every day, so now we have a system.

I’m basically one step away from tossing hot dogs to raccoons in the backyard and calling it a social life.

Dinner is earlier now, too. Still after 5:00, but I can see 4:30 from here.

I don’t mind all of this. There is comfort in much of it, but I still feel young.

I just wasn’t expecting to feel this organized and this forgetful at the exact same time.